Congress
Trump’s Education Department transfers illegal, Senate Dems say
Four Democratic senators blasted an Education Department plan to move certain operations to other departments through interagency agreements as “outrageous,” and “illegal,” saying it circumvented appropriations law.
House panel advances bills extending probationary periods to two years
Democrats decried the measure as a Trojan horse aimed at more easily screening new federal workers and job seekers on ideological grounds.
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Marjorie Taylor Greene retirement launches speculation about congressional pensions
For former members of Congress, pension and health care benefits can depend on your tenure.
Lawmakers call for probe of how firm tied to Kristi Noem got piece of $220M DHS ad contracts
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has come under fire after allegations that a Republican consulting firm with ties to her and department leadership had been awarded an ad campaign contract.
Trump: Telling troops to refuse illegal orders is 'seditious behavior'
"Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders,” six Democratic lawmakers said in a video. "TRAITORS!!!" Trump responded.
Democrats try again to reestablish legal deference to agencies on regulations
The bicameral bill also seeks to limit the ability of businesses to influence the rulemaking process.
Lawmakers signal support for using AI to prevent veteran suicides in FY26 VA funding bill reports
“There is a significant need to improve early suicide indicators and detection using artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies that improve operational efficiency and effectiveness throughout veteran service delivery,” according to a House Appropriations panel report.
Lawmakers force House vote on bill nullifying anti-union EOs
A pair of Republicans were the final signatures needed to on a bipartisan discharge petition in support of legislation that would strike President Trump’s pair of executive orders aimed at stripping two-thirds of the federal workforce of their collective bargaining rights.
As health costs spike, a sour and divided Congress escapes one shutdown to face another
Few of the divides that fueled the 43-day shutdown have been resolved, and a fractured Congress is on the clock to find a budgetary solution.
Agencies could still be digging out from shutdown when funding deal ends, association says
The Congressional Budget Office and an industry group for federal contractors both predict the government won’t return to pre-shutdown operational levels until 2026. A partial funding lapse could start at the end of January without congressional action.
Major takeaways for federal agencies on the funding deal to reopen government
Congress appears poised to end the longest-ever shutdown later this week with a bill with major implications for several key agencies.
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SSA chief Bisignano faces probe from Wyden and Warren over Fiserv stock and federal contract concerns
The Social Security commissioner has come under fire in recent days as shares in his former company depreciated shortly after his tax-advantaged divestiture from the financial technology firm.
‘We’re closer to the end': Lawmakers signal some progress in bipartisan talks to end shutdown
Funding lapse set to reach record levels but senators in both parties voice mild hope of progress.
Senator argues that federal agencies should be more like Spirit Halloween, at least when it comes to real estate
While the Trump administration is prioritizing rightsizing the federal real estate portfolio, it has pared back several more aggressive efforts to offload property.
Employees are receiving renewed furlough notices as shutdown enters second month, this time without back pay guarantees
The shutdown is heading into November, sparking new, altered furlough notices to 650,000 employees.
Senate committee backs $1.4B FBI HQ move over Democratic protests
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved the plan to move the Bureau to the Ronald Reagan Building in a party-line vote, with several legislative hurdles remaining.
Senators challenge Hegseth’s bottleneck on communications with Congress
The Senate Armed Services chairman said new limits in a recent memo “may need to be clarified.”
Republicans float paying some feds as Dems maintain shutdown approach
A union calling for the shutdown's immediate end is not deterring Democrats, though they continue negotiating a bipartisan measure to pay all workers immediately.
Pay for Trump and Congress continues in shutdown, unless they ask it be held
Some congressional members of both parties have asked that their paychecks be withheld until the current government shutdown can be resolved.
Lawmakers decry shutdown layoffs and the Trump administration’s lack of communication about them
The House Democrats pressed for the reversals of recent reductions in force at the Education and Health and Human Services departments.
